The International Space Station entered the 21st century operating normally
with no problems reported as it orbits the Earth every 90 minutes. Flight
controllers both in Houston and in Moscow reported a smooth, uneventful
Y2K rollover of computer commanding involving the ISS as the year 2000
dawned last week.

Flight controllers
continue to manage the charging of the batteries on the Zarya module
and are watching over other systems on the station. Electrical power
management continues to be the focus, with the Station operating on
the power generated by four of six batteries inside Zarya. Batteries
1 and 2 remain disconnected from the electrical bus. Over the next two
weeks, controllers plan to recharge battery 1 and place it in a backup,
or standby mode, to be used if necessary. The four batteries currently
servicing Zarya are providing more than enough power for all ISS systems.

Flight controllers
also reported a good test of the Kurs automatic docking system on Zarya.
Some discrepancies were seen before the holidays on the system’s
relative velocity readings from possible electromagnetic interference
(EMI) generated from other systems on the Station. Further testing of
the system is likely prior to the launch of the Zvezda service module
later this year. The Kurs system will be used during the final rendezvous
and docking of the ISS with Zvezda about two weeks after it is launched
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

ISS and Shuttle
program managers are evaluating the possibility of flying a mission
to the Station this spring in advance of the launch of Zvezda to take
advantage of an opportunity to perform maintenance on some of Zarya’s
systems. If approved, the mission would extend the lifetime of those
systems and accomplish some work in advance of another Shuttle flight
to the Station this summer following the launch of Zvezda. The second
mission is designed to prepare the service module for the arrival of
its first resident crew later this year. A decision on whether to conduct
the spring mission to the ISS is expected by the end of the month.

The International
Space Station continues to operate in excellent shape as it orbits the
Earth at an altitude of 246 by 234 statute miles. Since the launch of
Zarya in November 1998, the ISS has completed almost 6,500 orbits. Space
Station viewing opportunities worldwide are available on the Internet
at:

NOTE: The next
International Space Station status report will be issued on Thursday,
Jan. 13, 2000, unless mission events warrant. For further information,
please contact the NASA Public Affairs Office at the Johnson Space Center,
Houston, Texas, 281-483-5111.

NASA Johnson Space Center Shuttle Mission/Space Station Status Reports
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